The pandemic hits. CORONAVIRUS, CORONAVIRUS, CORONAVIRUS, shit is getting real. 

Folks are dying, economies are plummeting, societies are an inch away from a revolution, and as many of us cope with the many flavors of what being at home entails, one universal thing feels true, we are remotely watching the end of the world. How is it that 2020 is what 2012 tried so hard to be? 

All of a sudden we went from sitting at restaurants, enjoying our cocktails, sending hugs, giving kisses, swiping right, to an extreme utter and complete shutdown. Everyone must stop, shelter in place, we are safer at home. But, wait, for how long? 

If I wasn’t playing my part as a pajama warrior, maybe you’d find me trotting around the globe, underwater swimming with seagrass. If you can’t find me there, then maybe I’m on a river fly fishing. In the hard chances that you can’t find me there, I’m probably lying on the floor, unable to see, move or keep my balance. I live among the many with a weakened immune system. It is the reason I stay home, to shield myself from the invisible illness.

As restrictions lift, remember that economists are not scientists. Your business is NOT more important than your health, and the health of others. The less we take this seriously, the longer it will take to recover. Even if you think you are not at risk, you can pass the virus to someone that is.

Sure, our bodies were meant to fight against pathogens. Place a human body against a deadly virus, give it basic functions, chances of survival are good. Now, weaken its immune system, strip away access to healthcare, damn, chances of survival just got infinitely worse.

We are living in extreme uncertainty. Humanity is up against the biggest baddest bitch out there, biology. Coupled with a fundamentally broken, under prepared healthcare system that has a chronic habit of underfunding public health, treating patients like business transactions, and, for many centuries, supporting structural racism that jeopardizes the health of many minorities and Women of Color (WOC), I consider myself lucky to be alive. 

We created A Virtual WOCSpace so women of color, and allies, can share their experiences in this vulnerable time, cause lets be real, this is affecting everyone, everywhere and for some more than others.

We should frame this “experience” as the birth of sharing a piece of ourselves by being open and honest. In the face of the pandemic, we have created a space to: mentally check in, guide you through mindful meditations, secure protected time to get your own work done (or not), hold each other accountable, meet other WOC, find your voice, share a story, be heard.

Maybe this is the universes way of letting us know that we need to surrender. How can we give ourselves permission to surrender in a way that we might have never surrendered before? For me its practicing being vulnerable. Maybe for you, its trying something new? But why do it alone? Ultimately we are building community for WOC to excel, and at A Virtual WOCSpace we empower women to be their best selves. 

Stay positive, stay socially connected, you can always find us on A Virtual WOCSpace during the week or movie nights on Sundays. Stay informed, this virus can live on surfaces for many hours, for up to many days, so keep disinfecting those areas. Try not to leave your house, but if you must, wear a mask, wash your hands, and please, stay six feet away.